An Aurora Life
by AnimeOtaku4444
Summary: AU. It's been seven years since Hisana died, but Byakuya still can't move on. That is, until he meets a mysterious waitress at one of Seireitei city's most popular Goth clubs. Could she be what he's been looking for? Byakuya/OC, Renji/Rukia, and others
1. The Midnight Lamborghini

Kuchiki Byakuya stood on his balcony, the night wind whipping his hair back. Since his apartment was the penthouse, his balcony also happened to be the roof of the building. The city lay sprawled below him, a sea of sparkling lights. Those lights made it look as though all the stars in the heavens had fallen to Earth, and continued to shine there. It was a beautiful, peaceful sight, but tonight he found it couldn't calm his heart the way it usually did.

It had been seven years already, since Hisana, the beautiful girl he'd gone against his family to marry shortly after his eighteenth birthday, had died from cancer. The part of her which he'd held within his heart had gone, leaving a terrible hole which nothing could fill. His father had died five years later, leaving him to run their multinational corporation. His nickname in the press was 'the Prince of Japan'. It was actually fairly apt. One of his ancestors had been the Emperor, a few centuries ago.

This night was Hisana's birthday. It was nights like these when he couldn't stop thinking of her. He'd gotten her the best doctors his money could buy. He'd done everything in his considerable power to take care of her. Nothing had been enough. His grandfather, his chief advisor in the company, had been pestering him ever since his year of mourning was officially over to remarry, reminding him constantly that it was his duty to create Kuchiki heirs to the company.

Byakuya wanted nothing to do with it. He didn't think he could love anybody again, not after losing his beloved wife. He wasn't going to marry for convenience either. He respected the sanctimony of marriage far too much to defile it that way, even if it really was his duty. It seemed that his clan's fate was sealed. He had no siblings or cousins to carry on the name. Once his time on Earth was up, there would never again be a Kuchiki. He would be the last rightful owner and President of Senbonzakura Incorporated.

Tonight, as on so many nights before, Byakuya couldn't help but find himself wondering what his life would've been like if Hisana had lived, if she'd never gotten sick in the first place. Her parents had died in a car accident when she was eight, and her sister Rukia was one. Her and her baby sister had been raised by an uncle, but he was a violent, drunken loser. She'd run away when she was eleven, leaving her sister behind. She'd never forgiven herself for it.

She was sixteen when Byakuya found her in one of the city's parks, struggling to get out of the grip of a park official, who was dragging her over to a pair of police officers. Vagrancy was not tolerated in that part of town, where only the filthy rich could afford the apartments. The young pair married just three months later. She was diagnosed four months after her wedding.

She'd died one month after their first anniversary, at just seventeen. Before she'd died, she'd begged her husband to find her sister, and take her in. Going against his family once more, Byakuya had done just that. It had taken him three years to find her, because she too had run away from home at a young age, but for the last four years Byakuya had been the official guardian of Kuchiki Rukia.

She was already seventeen, but she acted more like she was thirty. She was so responsible. She was a bit damaged from her time with her uncle, and living on the streets, so their relationship was a bit strained. However, Byakuya was fiercely protective of her as her big brother, and she worked very hard at her schoolwork. She was still in high school, she'd missed a couple of years after she'd left her uncle's place, but she had big plans.

She wanted to study to be a doctor at Tokyo University. She wanted to join a search-and-rescue organisation after her graduation. She was mildly ambitious, and she knew what she wanted. All things considered, it could have been much worse. Still, every time Byakuya looked at her, the girl who looked so much like her sister that they could've been twins if not for the seven-year age difference, that empty place in his heart gave off a dull ache.

Byakuya hated it. He didn't want to forget Hisana, but he was so tired of missing her. He wished he could move on, but he honestly didn't know how to. With a sigh, he closed his eyes and moved inside. Thinking things through was getting him nowhere. Just for tonight, he needed to forget. He grabbed his car keys, a white full-length coat, and his pale blue silk scarf, before leaving his apartment and taking his private elevator down to the basement, where his car waited for him.

It was a black Rolls Royce with silver fittings. He had a midnight-blue Lamborghini as well, but that was a birthday gift from his college friend Zaraki Kenpachi. He almost never drove the sporty, frivolous thing. It didn't suit his tastes in the least. In his opinion, it wasn't nearly as classy a vehicle as his Rolls. Still, tonight he needed speed. After a moment of hesitation, he slipped into the slick machine.


	2. The Third Ring

He had a driver, but he'd already sent the man home for the night, and once in a while he enjoyed driving himself. He took the wheel between his hands. He sighed again, but this time a little bit of his tension flowed out of him as his grip tightened. He drove at the speed limit until he got to the highway. After that, he revved his car and stepped hard on the accelerator. He'd already thought to put his magnetic black-out plates over his license plates, and his windows were highly tinted.

He wouldn't have to worry about cameras, and any cops who spotted him would never be able to keep up with him in their pathetic vehicles. Hell, his car was the same colour as the night, and drove completely silent. They'd probably never even realise he was there. The Lamborghini had a good engine. It could really go when Byakuya wanted it to. He had found at an early age that driving at high speeds, like watching the cityscape late at night, was a soothing thing for him.

Almost like meditation, it cleared his mind, letting his worries flow gently away, until there was nothing but the soft, humming vibration of his car seat, and open road for miles ahead. He drove on the old highway which was mostly abandoned when the new one was built. It was no longer maintained, but it was in decent condition, and there were no other cars to slow him down.

He drove that way for half an hour before doing a U-turn, and speeding back towards the city. The trip had made him feel a little better, but it still wasn't enough. He just couldn't clear his mind. With a slight frown, he dialled his personal assistant, Abarai Renji. The guy was a hot-head, but he was reliable. He had many great ideas which had brought about vast improvements in the corporation, like having a national representative for each of the countries they had branches in.

The reps met with Byakuya once every month now. It had made running Senbonzakura's countless branches far more manageable. Renji worked hard, and always found a way to get the job done. The man had more connections than Byakuya did, which was seriously saying something. He picked up on the third ring. Byakuya's frown deepened. He usually picked up on the first ring.

"Renji, are you busy?" He heard Renji breathing hard, and thought perhaps the man had been working out. He was quite well-built. "Sorry boss, I was just enjoying a night in with my girlfriend. How can I help you?" Byakuya's eyes widened fractionally in surprise. How had he not known that Renji had a girlfriend? He made a mental note to find out who she was. Renji was a valuable asset, it wouldn't do for him to be caught dating an inappropriate woman. Mind you, he was one to talk.

His marrying Hisana, a homeless sixteen-year-old, had been a massive controversy. Still, she'd always handled herself well in the public eye, and she'd had a genuine personality. She wasn't the type to cause scandals, or make trouble for the corporation in any way. "I hope I wasn't interrupting anything. I just thought I'd ask if you were free. I'd like to spend a night out on the town, perhaps go drinking. I thought you could show me a suitable establishment."

Byakuya could sense Renji rolling his eyes. He couldn't stand the way Byakuya spoke, like he was a real Prince or something, but he couldn't help it. It was something he'd gotten from his father as a boy. Renji would just have to deal with it. "Well, I suppose I could show you around, but I really don't want to be rude to my little lady. She'd make me sleep on the couch for a week. Can I call one of my guys to meet up with you instead? I know just the man."

Byakuya didn't like meeting new people much, but he was a nobleman. He knew how to be civil. Besides, he really did need at least one drink tonight. "Very well. I'll wait for him in the lobby of my building. I've just been taking the Lamborghini for a spin. How will I recognise him?" Renji grinned at the short, petite young woman with pitch black hair lying in the bed next to him.

"He's bald, so he's kinda tough to miss. He'll be with his boyfriend, a ridiculously narcissistic, girly-looking guy. Baldy's called Ikkaku. Girly's called Yumichika. Those too might be real characters, but they know their way around Seireitei's drinking spots. They'll know just where to take you." With that, Renji hung up the phone. He called his friend immediately.


	3. The High School Girl

He knew the party animal would be out and about still, even though it was nearing ten at night. When he was done talking to Ikkaku, he hung up and sunk back onto his pillow with a huff. "Jeez, that was close. I nearly jumped out of my damn skin when I saw who was calling." His girlfriend smiled mischievously up at him. "You know, you really shouldn't be that scared of my Nii-sama. There's no way I'd ever let him fire you."

Renji didn't look so sure. "Rukia, you're barely even legal, and Byakuya is crazy protective of you. He'd fry my hide if he caught us together, forget firing me. I'd be toast." Rukia laughed at the mental image. "Don't worry. Nii-sama isn't going to find out about us that easily. I'm good at being discreet, and he's not the kind to pry. Let me worry about him. Besides, you've got more important things to think about, like… how you're going to make round three even better than round two…"

Renji's eyes widened comically. "You're ready again? Already?" Rukia grinned before she started nipping, licking, and kissing Renji's neck with a fierce passion. Renji's eyes shut, and he groaned in pleasure. "I'll just take that as a yes then…" Rukia had known Renji since she was a little kid. He'd spent a lot of his time on the streets too. He'd been a foster kid for as long as he could remember, and it seemed to him that each couple he got dumped with was worse than the last.

Eventually he'd just run away. He was two years older than Rukia, and a good head taller than her, but she'd been such a feisty little thing. She'd made everything seem brighter to him. When Byakuya had come along and taken her in, at thirteen, Renji had gone back to school, determined to see her again someday. Luckily for him he was actually pretty smart when he tried to be.

He'd done four years worth of high school work over the next two years, and graduated with several distinctions. He'd interned at Byakuya's company for the next year, until his big mouth, fearless attitude towards the boss, and capable personality had got him noticed, and Byakuya had hired him as his PA. Not long afterwards, at a business function, Renji had finally found Rukia again.

She'd grown so much in three years, but she was still much shorter than him. The real difference was that she'd gotten some noticeable curves since he'd last seen her. They'd talked the whole night, eventually winding up making out in the coat room. Renji had bribed the attendant with fifty dollars. He remembered it like it was yesterday. They'd been a couple ever since, but they were keeping it a secret until after Rukia graduated from high school, which she was due to do the next year, four months after her eighteenth birthday.

They would have to wait until then to get married, because Renji seriously doubted that Byakuya would give them his permission to get married before then. Rukia would have to get her guardian's written permission to marry if she wanted to do so before she turned eighteen. Besides, she didn't think Byakuya would be excited about her getting married before she went to University.

He'd probably think she would change her mind about going, even if it was a ridiculous notion. Rukia was deadly serious about her future, and that included a damn good education. Renji was very supportive of her going to University, too. He wasn't some bone-headed moron who thought that University was only for men and pathetic women who weren't hot enough to get husbands. Renji had already decided that when Rukia went to University to become a doctor, he was going to start studying part-time to get his business degree.

Someday he wanted to be more than just Byakuya's PA. He wanted a real position in the company. He wanted to be a man Rukia could be proud of, a man Kuchiki Byakuya could respect. He knew he was intelligent enough, and he was willing to work as hard as he'd need to. This goal was very important to him. Someday, when it was time for him to become a father, he wanted to make damn sure he was a good one, and that included being financially prepared.


End file.
